About QUIOTE

Opening in Chicago’s rapidly growing Logan Square neighborhood in February of 2017, Quiote is Owner Dan Salls' (The Salsa Truck, The Garage) manifestation of a lifelong love of the flavors derived from Mexico’s colorful cuisine. Behind the inventive menu is Executive Chef Ross Henke (The Publican, Publican Quality Meats) who presents the heart and soul of the restaurant by creating thoughtful yet unbridled interpretations of classic Mexican dishes with fine dining touches. While honoring Mexico’s rich history, Henke’s delightfully unexpected offerings are often influenced by contemporary techniques found in Japanese, French and Southern styles of cooking. Using honest Midwestern ingredients sourced seasonally from local farms and from their very own rooftop garden and beehives, Quiote redefines the farm-to-table restaurant. The 96 seat neighborhood restaurant (68 seat dining room, 28 seat patio) boasts a rotating collection of seasonal food-friendly cocktails curated by Partner/Beverage Director Jay Schroeder (Mezcaleria Las Flores, Frontera), rarely seen Mexican wines, one of the country’s most extensive sought-after mezcal lists, and an expertly trained staff in the world of Mexico’s greatest artisanal spirit. By breaking down culinary boundaries with mezcal-focused fare, Quiote has been recognized by Michelin Guide in both 2017 and 2018 with a prestigious Bib Gourmand. Located at 2456 N. California Ave., Chicago, IL 60647. Open for dinner Wednesday-Monday 5pm-close and for brunch Saturday/Sunday from 10am-2:30pm; closed Tuesdays. More information can be found by visiting www.quiotechicago.com or by emailing info@quiotechicago.com. Check them out on Instagram @quiotechicago and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/QuioteChicago.

dan salls, Owner

Growing up around the hospitality business, Dan Salls began cooking at an early age, spending many joyful hours in the kitchen of his childhood home in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. He attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, finishing his degree in communications and working in finance post-graduation. Coming to the realization that his passion for cooking could not be ignored, Salls then shifted to become a culinary entrepreneur. In late 2012, he created plans for Chicago’s first cook-on-board food purveyor, The Salsa Truck, dedicated to his longtime love for Mexican fare. Launching in 2013, the successful mobile concept was tethered to his brick-and-mortar West Loop restaurant, The Garage, which highlighted a daily rotating lunch counter menu supplied by pop-up guest chefs from throughout the city, in addition to The Salsa Truck's regular selections.

In 2016, Dan closed both The Garage and The Salsa Truck to dive deeper into the culture of Mexican food and mezcal. Over the course of several months, he traveled to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Valle de Guadalupe, the Baja Peninsula, amongst other regions of Mexico to research and develop menus for would later become his dream restaurant, Quiote. Opening in the Logan Square neighborhood in February of 2017, Quiote is the manifestation of Salls’ vision for a mezcal-focused restaurant with contemporary Mexican cuisine.

Quiote's food and extensive mezcal offerings quickly garnered attention, earning the restaurant several recognitions within their first year including a Michelin Bib Gourmand, Chicago Magazine's “Best New Restaurant” (#4)—and later, after bringing aboard Beverage Director Jay Schroeder to rebrand the subterranean mezcaleria of the space into what ultimately became Todos Santos, the 2018 TimeOut Bar Award for "Best Specialty Bar”. With friend and opening Chef de Cuisine Ross Henke by his side since day one, Salls slowly stepped away from the culinary side of Quiote to focus on overseeing operations of the two busy concepts, officially appointing Henke as Executive Chef in the spring of 2018.

Ross Henke, Executive Chef

Growing up in suburban Frankfort, IL, Ross Henke first developed a passion for cooking through creating homemade meals with his family. Later, he began working in the kitchen of Naperville’s White Eagle Golf Club while pursuing a culinary degree at Joliet Junior College before becoming the chef de partie at critically acclaimed Sugar Toad under Chef Keith Willis, formerly of French Laundry. Ambitious to further his career in the hospitality industry, Henke dove headfirst into Chicago’s thriving restaurant scene in 2011. Over the ensuing years, Henke honed his skills in the kitchens of some of the city’s premier establishments including LM Bistro at the downtown Hotel Felix and in the West Loop at One Off Hospitality Group’s Publican Quality Meats and The Publican, working under the guidance of James Beard Award winning Executive Chef/Partner Paul Kahan.

In 2016, Henke teamed up with longtime friend Dan Salls to become the opening chef de cuisine at Quiote. Henke’s unbridled menu at Quiote is a mix of clever and inventive offerings that emulate the current culinary trends found in Mexico City while incorporating with sustainable ingredients sourced from Midwestern purveyors and fresh produce grown in Quiote’s rooftop garden. Opening in early 2017 in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, Quiote was an instant hit, garnering numerous accolades including a Michelin Bib Gourmand in both 2017 and 2018, and the #4 spot on Chicago Magazine's “Best New Restaurant” list. Henke’s penchant for taking risks in the kitchen and passion for creating “cravable” dishes in novel ways earned him a coveted nomination for the Jean Banchet Award for Best Chef de Cuisine in 2017 along with the promotion to his current role as Quiote’s Executive Chef in 2018.

jay schroeder, Beverage Director

James (Jay) Schroeder has dedicated his career to agave and cocktail culture, working exclusively with agave products for the past five years to become one of the preeminent authorities on Mexican spirits in the industry. Since beginning his hospitality career in 2003, Schroeder has completed top-level, spirit-based education programs and advanced courses in Mexico in addition to spending time perfecting his craft in Chile, Scotland, Peru, Puerto Rico, Poland, France and more. He is a Certified Specialist of Spirits, BNIC certified Cognac Professional and certified Diagio Master of Whiskey. Focused on seasonal ingredients and fresh flavors, his early work as Chief Mixologist at Bucktown’s Red Door in 2013 caught celebrity Chef Rick Bayless’s eye, ultimately leading Schroeder to run the cocktail programs as Chief Mixologist at Chef Bayless' Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Xoco. At Frontera, Schroeder not only curated their popular margarita list but also created the restaurant's seasonal craft cocktails, earning the River North spot a feature in Food & Wine’s 2015 Cocktail Guide. Later, Schroeder launched the sister-restaurant Xoco’s craft cocktail program, heavily informed by aroma science and force-carbonation.

After serving as Chief Mixologist and Bar Director for the Rick Bayless namesake hospitality group, he partnered with Chef/Owner Sarah Jordan of Johnny’s Grill to launch Mezcaleria Las Flores in the Logan Square neighborhood. Through his constant exploration of interesting flavor combinations and penchant for balanced, spirit-driven cocktails, Schroeder became a force in Chicago's mixology scene and was named to Zagat's inaugural "30 Under 30” in 2012 and garnered Mezcaleria Las Flores the Eater Bar of the Year Award in 2016.

Now as a Partner and Beverage Director at acclaimed Logan Square contemporary Mexican restaurant Quiote (Michelin Bib Gourmand 2018, 2019) and adjoining bar Todos Santos, Schroeder shows a deft touch at creating two unique and expressive styles of programming. His unparalleled level of knowledge and understanding of mezcal— the central component of both spaces— has gleaned numerous recognitions including the Time Out Chicago Bar Award for Todos Santos as the 2018 "Best Specialty Bar”. Additionally, his extensive travels throughout Mexico and seeing endemic spirits made in their ancestral homes has been the catalyst to host an ongoing open-to-the-public mezcal class series in Todos Santos’ subterranean bar space as well as his first self-published book, Understanding Mezcal, to be released in March 2019.

Private Dining room

Our intimate private dining room features a custom-made table that fits 16 guests and its own kitchen. The private space is perfect for a chef-lead experience with custom menus and interactive chef demos as well as business lunches, wine dinners and parties.

Todos Santos

Quiote's mezcaleria, Todos Santos, is a hidden subterranean bar located underneath the main dining room. The wood-laden space is perfect for happy hours, birthday and private parties of up to 50 guests. Guests can choose from our specialty agave-based cocktails, mezcal, wine, beer and “large format” cocktails for the table. Tacos featuring house-made tortillas, hors d'oeuvres and a more casual menu are available. We can handle booking DJs if desired.

Main dining room

Our main dining area can handle private groups from 8 up to 42 guests. Guests can work with our chef to create a multi-course dinner for your party or event based off of our current menu as well as special events offerings. Our full bar and beverage program is available for private events.